Latest results from the June 2 primary show the race for Fresno County Superior Court Seat No. 7 narrowing, pointing to a potential runoff between attorneys Jeffrey Hammerschmidt (left) and Jose Salazar. (GV Wire Composite)
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The latest election update in one Fresno County Superior Court judge race has added drama and a potential November runoff.
The latest update, posted Tuesday night, showed Jeffrey Hammerschmidt’s share of votes at 49.58%, which is below the 50% threshold to win seat No. 7 outright. If the criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor — best known, perhaps, for prosecuting the high-profile, triple homicide Dana Ewell case in the 1990s — cannot regain a majority, he’ll face Jose Salazar, a public defender, in November.
Salazar is second with 34.88% of the vote, followed by attorney Curtis Sok at 15.26% to The race still has about 35,000 votes left to count.
Through May 16, Hammerschmidt had spent $81,433 on his campaign compared to Salazar’s $13,568, according to the California Secretary of State website.
Runoff Likely Between Paulson and Ueltzen, Too
In a highly competitive race for the No. 6 seat on the bench, Ashley Paulson, a former DA’s prosecutor who is the city of Fresno’s chief assistant attorney and chief prosecutor, has 47.12% and Fresno County senior deputy district attorney Steven Ueltzen is at 29.84%. Public defender Deidre Adams is third (22.80%).
Vote to Be 95% Complete by Thursday
Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters James Kus told GV Wire that all regular vote-by-mail ballots have gone through the signature verification process. He expects the tabulation to be 95% completed by Thursday at 5 p.m.
See all the updated Fresno County results at this link.
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